.

Team S3I are, from left, Pri Nonis, Karan Parikh, Pawan Taparia and Nishant Patel

21st Century Answer to an Ancient Problem

By Teresa Hagen and Anne Ambrose

Desert locusts are an age-old scourge in West Africa, where in 2004, the region faced its worst outbreak in 15 years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that fighting this one infestation exceeded $60 million and resulted in $2.5 billion in harvest losses.

When a team of CSULB engineering students considered what kind of project to build for two international information technology competitions, a television program about the devastation wrought by locust swarms inspired them to develop a locust early warning system that qualified as a finalist in both events.

Team S3I, consisting of computer engineering seniors Priyankara Nonis, Nishant Patel and Karan Parikh, and computer science senior Pawan Taparia, developed “Swarm-Cast” in response to challenges by Microsoft and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE) to design and implement a computer-based solution to real-world problems along the theme of “Preserving, Protecting and Enhancing the Environment.” The team qualified as finalists in Microsoft’s 2006 Windows Embedded Student ChallengE and the IEEE Computer Society’s International Design Competition (CSIDC) 2006.

“Swarm-Cast” warns of locust attacks through a distributed “sensorless” sensor node network arranged across the perimeter of known locust outbreak zones to detect and report swarm movements and densities. The solar- powered network utilizes a radio frequency communication device to detect obstructions as well as to exchange information to help authorities plan eradication efforts. The cost-effective system is designed to be self-auditing and self-sustaining.

The CSULB group was one of five U.S. teams chosen to fill 30 slots in the international Microsoft Windows Challenge, which took place in June in Redmond, Wash. Team S3I also was one of only three U.S. teams—and the first CSU finalist ever—out of 133 entries from 28 countries to take part in the IEEE’s International Design Competition world finals in Washington, D.C., in July.

“Pursuing computer engineering studies at CSULB has been a richly rewarding experience for our team, not only because of the encouragement and inspiration from the top-notch engineering faculty, but also because of the many challenges and opportunities that were presented to us through various classroom and extracurricular activities,” said Nonis, president of the Embedded Applications Technology (EAT) Club from which the project originated.

Parikh said the team received valuable guidance from the UN and its senior locust forecasting officer, Keith Cressman. The team remains in contact with the UN in the hope that the organization will be further interested in the project.

The team learned not only about developing hardware and software, but how to present their ideas in competitions and in the marketplace—lessons they plan to share with future CSULB teams.

“Taking part in the IEEE’s CSIDC and the Microsoft’s WESC competitions provided us the invaluable opportunity to translate classroom theory into real-world application and practice. The mutual interaction and spirited exchange of ideas among EAT members, and the encouragement from our club mentor, Professor Bob Ward, has been immensely beneficial to us,” Nonis added. “‘Swarm-Cast’ proposes to solve a longstanding problem faced by an impoverished, lesser developed part of the world, and the feel of making a difference is a highly satisfying and motivating experience."